A Quiet but Alarming Rise
We live in exciting times where AI has emerged as a clear winner and therefore the past decade has seen advances we couldn't phantom. What we also cannot ignore is the rise in number of cancers and new cancer drugs coming out of research everyday.
Children (0–18 years of age) however were always considered a healthy population and it's quite astonishing to see that the burden of childhood cancers is accelerating at a fast rate. The global burden of diagnosed cases every year is almost 400,000 and India alone accounts for approximately 70,000 cases a year.
While India is still battling malnutrition, pneumonias and diarrhoeas in children with an alarming mortality and morbidity — this comes as a huge hit.
Have Childhood Cancers Actually Increased?
Although there is insufficient data to support that food, preservatives, mobile radiations and other environmental factors can increase the risk of cancers in children, certain facts are well established:
Infections like Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) in childhood can lead to some adult cancers. Obesity and Diabetes in children leads to lifelong risk for adult cancers. Children must be exposed to healthy food and lifestyle choices from the very start.
The Most Common Childhood Cancers
Unlike adult cancers, childhood cancers have no associated cause or genetic predisposition and hence screening for them is not available. Only 10% of childhood cancers are linked to certain genetic conditions.
Children with Down Syndrome are at a higher risk of developing Acute Myeloid Leukemia and can be screened every decade of their life for it. The maximum cases are diagnosed at age 2–6 years — the crucial period of brain and physical growth — hence they must be treated with caution.
The Silver Lining — Cure Rates
Childhood cancers, if diagnosed early and adequately treated, have an 80% cure rate in high income countries. This is a remarkable silver lining that comes with the condition.
This poor cure rate is due to multiple overlapping barriers that compound one another:
In a country like ours there is a lack of pediatric cancer specialists and healthcare setups (chemotherapy daycare centres and bone marrow transplant) leading to a critical gap in diagnosis and management. The journey to 80% is near — if we can bridge these gaps.
What We Can Do
A clear roadmap exists to bring our cure rates on par with the world. Here's what needs to happen:
